He tried his door, found it locked. Nick brushed past him. “I’ll open it.” He put a key into the lock, turned it, and opening the door, reached inside. He found the light switch and flicked it.
Johnny stepped into the room. Nick crowded in on his heels. At first Johnny saw nothing unusual in the room, then his eyes swept the floor and he saw — between the two beds — a pair of brown-trousered legs.
He stepped swiftly around the nearest bed and looked down at the dead face of... the man from Death Valley, the man who had died virtually in his arms.
For a moment he stared down while a thousand thoughts flitted through his brain. Then slowly he turned and looked at the shrewd face of Nick.
“He’s been plugged,” the bellboy said softly.
“Who is he?”
“Don’t you know?”
Johnny shook his head slowly. Nick stepped to his side, drew a shuddering breath, then shot a quick glance down at the dead man. “I’ve been trying to place him for the last ten minutes. I’m almost sure I’ve seen him before, but damned if I can remember...”
Johnny went to the door, shot the bolt, then stepped to both windows in the room and made sure the shades were drawn down clear to the sills. Then he turned back to the bellboy.
“All right, Nick, let’s have a little talk.”
Nick seated himself on the edge of the bed, then grimacing, got up and moved to a chair. “Sure, Mr. Fletcher, that’s why I called you over on the q.t. Like I said, I come in here and find this guy...”
“Wait a minute, Nick. You say you came in here... why?”
“Because I got called.” He looked at his watch. “It’s eight twenty-three. It was two minutes to eight when I came in...”
“In answer to what call?” Johnny persisted grimly.
“Search me. The bell captain gives me a bell and when I go up he says go to Room 24. I come over here and knock on the door and there’s no answer. I think it’s funny so I unlock the door and... biff!”
“Do all the bellboys carry passkeys to the rooms?”
A ghost of a grin appeared on Nick’s face. “All the smart ones.”
“All right, Nick, you’re smart. So see if you can give me a straight story. You say the bell captain sent you over here. Who’s he?”
“Bill Hayes, a no-good, two-timing, double-crossing bastard if there ever was one.”
“I take it you and this Bill Hayes aren’t exactly pals.”
Nick stuck out his tongue and brought air up from his lungs. The result was a moist, raucous sound... his opinion of Bill Hayes. “I wouldn’t put it past him that he knew about this before he sent me over.”
Johnny blinked. “What makes you think that?”
“I dunno, but maybe he figured he was doing me a dirty trick.”
Johnny frowned. “What’s the system up front? Does the bell captain get the calls from the hotel clerk and then relay them to the various bellboys?”
“Sometimes, if the guests call the clerk direct. Usually, though, they tell the operator, and the operator calls the bellstand.”
“And Hayes told you there was a call from Room 24?”
“Yeah.”
“Did he tell you what I... I mean the caller, wanted?”
“Uh-uh, he just said twenty-four wanted a boy. I came here and when there wasn’t any answer to my knock I figured...” He cleared his throat. “I mean, I was thinking with the luck you been having you might a been celebratin’ and passed out. So I opened the door and... biff!”
“Biff!” repeated Johnny. “Just like that. You didn’t go back and tell Hayes what you found?”
“Think I’m crazy? You treated me white, Mr. Fletcher, The first thing I thought I’d talk to you and see what was what... I looked for you in the casino; then I tried the dining room and there you was.” He stopped. “Don’t you think we’d better get going?”
“Where?”
“You’re not going to leave this here, are you?”
“I’m going to call the police — naturally...”
A shudder ran through Nick. “The cops are awful tough in this burg.”
“I can’t help that. There isn’t anything else I can do, is there?”
“The desert’s right outside your back window. We could dump him out there a ways.”
“If I’d really killed him, that’s what I might be tempted to do.”
“You mean — you didn’t?”
“Did you think I had?”
Nick shrugged. “To me, it wouldn’t make any difference.”
There was a step on the stone veranda outside, then knuckles rapped on the door. Nick’s knees buckled for a second and his face turned pale.
“Sufferin’ Susie...!”
Johnny went toward the door. “Yes?” he called.
“It’s me — Mulligan,” said a voice outside the door.
“Oh, no!” gasped Nick.
Johnny gave him a sardonic glance. “Tough?”
“The worst of them all. And I’m caught...”
Johnny turned the bolt and opened the door. Catch ’Em Alive started to come in. “I’ve been thinking over our little talk,” he began. Then he caught sight of the legs between the bed.
“Surprise,” said Johnny.
Catch ’Em Alive stepped past Johnny and walked to a position between the beds. He looked down at the dead man and shook his head slowly. “I’ll admit I am a little surprised, Fletcher...”
“So was I — two minutes ago, when I came in and found him like that.”
“You called the station?”
Johnny shook his head.
“Why not?”
“Didn’t have time.”
“Where’s the gun?”
Johnny cocked his head to one side. “Feel him, Mulligan.”
Mulligan dropped to one knee, touched a leg of the corpse, then gripped it hard. He got to his feet. “I don’t get it; it’s only an hour or so since I was here.”
“He’s been dead twenty-four hours. He died just about this time yesterday...”
Mulligan regarded Nick the bellboy for a moment. “What are you doing here, Nick...?”
“Why, I, uh, I came over with Mr. Fletcher...”
“Why?”
“I wanted him to run an errand for me,” said Johnny, coming to the bellboy’s defense.
“Doing what?”
“I wanted him to have some gas put in the car and I came over to give him the keys...”
“They’re in your car,” said Mulligan bluntly. “They’ve been in it all day. I looked when I was here before.”
“Oh, so that’s where they are.”
“You didn’t know?”
“No, I didn’t have them in my pocket and I figured I must have left them here, so I asked Nick to come over...”
“Thanks, Mr. Fletcher,” Nick said, “but it ain’t gonna be no use. He’ll find out from Bill Hayes.” As Mulligan nodded, “He’s just tryin’ to help me. I brought him over. The bell captain sent me here, said he had a call from twenty-four. There wasn’t any answer when I knocked, so I came in and—”
“The door was unlocked?”
Nick swallowed hard. “Y-yes... I mean, no, I opened it with my passkey and there he was. So then I went right away to look for Mr. Fletcher...”
“Are you working for him or the hotel?”
Nick’s hand dove into his pocket and he brought out a yellow check. “Does the hotel give me tips like this, Captain?”
Catch ’Em Alive grunted. “You’re spoiling the help Fletcher.” To Nick, he said, “Take a look at him.” He indicated the dead man.
Nick didn’t like it, but walked gingerly in between the beds. He stared down, then looked at the detective. “His face is familiar, but I can’t seem to remember...”
“Look again,” Mulligan urged.
Nick obeyed, but backed away, frowning. “I don’t place him.”